New Marion Cat Cafe to Host Grand Opening This Weekend

Two new Marion business will be hosting a grand opening celebration this Saturday, July 25th, and one of those businesses is the very first cat cafe to debut in Linn County!

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

About Familiar Cat Cafe

This spring, we told you about a new business coming to Marion called Familiar Cat Cafe. Located at 935 6th Ave, the main purpose of Familiar Cat Cafe is to help cats and kittens find their forever homes. The cafe has partnered with Funky Paws Rescue of Buchanan County out of Walker, Iowa to play "an active role in facilitating cat adoptions and reducing shelter overcrowding."

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

And, Familiar Cat Cafe wouldn't be a cafe without refreshments! The shop offers coffee drinks from Four Arrows Coffee, tea blends from Mabel & Pearl Tea Co., and baked goods from Bread and Buttered Bakery, all of which are locally-owned. The cafe also features products from local artists and makers that customers can purchase.

Familiar Cat Cafe has been doing a "soft opening" since July 15th, and its clear that Iowans are excited about it. Just 24-hours after opening up their online reservations, they had already received 40 reservations for the following week!

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

How Does it Work?

While anyone can walk in order something from the cafe portion of Familiar Cat Cafe, there are a few more steps if you want to hang out with the cats, who are located in a separate room called "The Mew-ion Lounge."

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

Sessions in the cat lounge are available in 15, 30, and 60-minute increments. A 15-minute session is $5, a 30-minute session is $10, and a full hour costs $15 (rate is per person). Children under 5 are free. The 15 and 30-minute sessions are available by walk-in only on a first come, first served basis, while 60-minute sessions can be booked online in advance HERE.

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

All ages are welcome inside the cat lounge, but any child under the age of 13 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. There is a limit of 12 people allowed in at one time, and all visitors are required to sign a liability waiver, which can be found on the website HERE.

Familiar Cat Café via Facebook

If you fall in love with one of the kitties during your visit and want to adopt them, you'll be required to fill out an adoption application online. Applications are reviewed on Thursdays, and any submitted after 11 a.m. that day will be not be reviewed until the following week. If approved, there is $150 adoption fee. You can read more about the adoption process in the post below:

Grand Opening Celebration

Familiar Cat Cafe is located right next door to another newly-opened Marion business called Cedar Witch Goods, and the two will be hosting a joint grand opening celebration this Saturday, July 25th! Some of the special activities on the schedule include:

• Door prizes - all day at both locations
• Iowa Humane Alliance fundraiser - all day at both locations
• Big Grove Brewery Tasting - 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Cedar Witch Goods
• Free Insomnia Cookies - 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Familiar Cat Cafe
• Tarot Readings by Ashley Hunt - 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Cedar Witch Goods
• CR Face Painting - 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Familiar Cat Cafe

READ MORE: Two Local Shops Have Opened New Locations in Cedar Rapids and Marion

Familiar Cat Cafe will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and Cedar Witch Goods will open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the grand opening celebration for both businesses, check out the official event page on Facebook HERE.

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